Old Testament

Old Testament

Aim

Learn more about yourself by stepping into the world of the Old Testament.

Focus

This short course provides an outline of the Old Testament (78% of the Christian Bible!), giving special attention to the way God’s purposes for creation and Israel are expressed. At the same time, the course is designed to explore how theological insights from the OT inform Christian faith today, so that students may discover and discern God’s purposes for their own lives.

Core Questions

Chaos: What does sin do to us? (Gen 1-3)

Creation: What is the purpose of being human? (Gen 1-11)

Covenant: How should we relate to God, to each other, and to the world? (Pentateuch)

Crisis: How does God restore what is broken? (Prophets)

Calling: What makes life meaningful? (Wisdom)

Christ: What is the relationship between Jesus and the OT? (time permitting)

Lecturer: Paul Jones

Paul lectures in Old Testament and Preaching as well as overseeing Trinity’s Short Course program. Through his teaching and writing, he aims to make the insights of biblical scholarship accessible to the whole church—including kids, pastors, and learners of every age and life-stage. Both of his books (on the spirituality of the prophets and Job) reflect this.

Assessment (Lay Preachers only)

In addition to the set reading for each class (about 100 pages in total), the assessment for this subject is a 1500 word book review or essay. The Lay Preacher candidate may review 100 pages from a set text, or write an essay on one of three set topics. For further information, please contact the course lecturer.